As a retired gunsmith this is one of those questions no one ever asks...but they should... There is no real secret to this... just some common sense and a little elbow grease... If your lucky enough to own a weapon made of stainless steel and a synthetic stock... just give it a good cleaning, light coat of oil and your golden... but what about the rest of us with regular ole blued guns or high carbon knives???? well now that's where it get fun... Most older rifle and handgun grips are made from oiled Walnut...Laminated wood stocks come in a verity of woods and looks but their care is essentially the same... Stock-oil and what is stock oil... pure linseed oil...or in some rare cases you might encounter Tung oil... here's a web site to show you the diff... Gun Stock Oil Finish Comparison Now for the steel... before doing anything else give it a good scrubbing inside and out ... in case you dont know what that means... you use a bore brush soaked in Hoppes #9 not just the barrel but the bolt and extractor feed ramp and magazine feed lips.... for a revolver make sure to scrub under the extractor... now if you have an old gun... with a lot of gunk buildup... look for Birchwood Caesy gun cleaner degresser...it's a spray on wipe off and does a pretty good job... once the cleaning is done use a very light coat of gun oil on all the inner workings... I say very light coat as too much oil in cold weather will thicken and make those tiny springs gummy.... so very light coating wipe off all the excess... now for the outer steel or even your knife blades... and for that trick you'll need to visit an auto supply store for some good ole paste wax... that's right the same paste wax that protects your car will protect your firearms... wipe on let dry buff off and your done.... As for keeping crap out of the barrel they do make a rifle condom... but I have a now 4 year old granddaughter and I have a drawer full of those small rubber balloons... If I recall they were sold as water balloons and came 100 to a pack for a couple of bucks... guess what... they work just fine and if need be you can shot threw it .... Okay so if your gonna store for longer... then you'll want to pack a lot of "Silica Gel" in an air tight container with your guns.... Might I suggest a 6 inch PVC pipe with a couple of clean out plugs for end caps... well thats it fo my tips... please feel free to add your own
Winter? What is "winter"? We have 2 seasons here in the south. Hot and wet, cold and wet. We have not this "winter" thing you mention. Just kidding great advice for gun storage, year round. All I ever clean my guns with is Hoppes #9 Solvent. Then oil with Hoppes Lubricating Oil with "Weatherguard" (because I live in the humid south, I take moisture protection very seriously) - a very light coating, wiping the excess. Better safe than sorry. I even clean knives with Hoppes solvent prior to oiling. Ensures a nice pristine steel surface to absorb the oil I put on mine. I use - of all things - a light coat of lard on my carbon steel knives. My grandpa taught me that and it works for me. I also keep my guns in a climate controlled area, but treat them as if they will be exposed to the humid environment of my locale year round. Even if they are not fired, once a month, I take them out, break them down, clean them, re-lube them and put them back. My son and daughters watch and ask questions, which helps them build a familiarity with my guns, not a "forbidden fruit" attitude, and so I really enjoy gun cleaning day. It relaxes me when I am wound up thinking about our current administration...
Cant count all the time the wife and I laid out a bunch of guns on the bed and went to town cleaning... Prob with having a wife who's a gun nut too it she claims as her own all the best toys... Like my very rare Ruger Super RedHawk in .41 mag... sighs Edit to add... I've heard a few old timers using lard as a packing grease... I'd still go with the car wax as it will not turn liquid with heat... besides it wil make for a smoother holster draw too
Yeap Or that Kimber LE special in SS that your bought at a Fun Show for half the price of new. Gafarmboy
I still got ya beat... the wife and I went to a gun show last year... she would not let me buy this old Wyoming Arms Long slide 1911 for $300 bucks... then what does she do... plops down a grand to buy a HK USP .45 Tactical for herself as a BD present... I'm telling you next year I'm getting that long slide and she's getting a new washer Bawhahahaa
